Forever and Always
by JadeFlicker
Summary: Under major revision.
1. Rings of Childhood

Wow, first fanfic. No flames please, no one likes those.

Authoress: I'm Flicker, today I'm having one of my Naruto OC's joining us today. Please welcome Sahori Ritsa.

Sahori: Hey, people.

Authoress: Sahori will be the comminatory for this fanfic. So starting off, this fanfic is about a girl named Elizabeth, Liz for short, whose Jim's best friend. There is a possibility that their relationship with bloom into something else, but currently, they're just best friends.

Sahori: **Disclaimer, Flicker doesn't own Treasure Planet. The movie belongs to Disney. She's too much of an imbecile to be able to go up against something as big as Disney. (Nods to emphasize her point)**

Authoress: ...You've been hanging around Hikana too much you know that…

Sahori: Hey, I hear her go at me at a daily basis, doesn't affect me no more.

Authoress: …You've been hanging around Toni too…The idiocy is wiping off.

"BAM! SLASH! BANG!"

A small, brown haired boy laughed as he pulled a girl of black hair along over the rocks on top of the cliffs of Benbow Inn. The girl leapt and stumbled after and along her friend as they hopped over the gray rocks in the early morning, watched over by a pair of watchful, blue eyes some ways away. If you were a standing afar, heading up the hill toward the inn for breakfast, you'd only see two small figures against the white light of the rising sun of Montressor.

"Come on, Liz! To Treasure Planet!" Six-year-old James Pleiades Hawkins yelled as he pulled on the fairer skinned, chubby hand he gripped in his equally chubby hand.

"Right behind you, Jim!" Six-year-old Elizabeth Aurora Kingston crowed back as she waved her slingshot gun in her opposite hand, a little slingshot she could shoot with a pull of a trigger. Courtesy of her the friend who was rock jumping with her.

As the leapt, the junior Hawkins—whose hair was still close shaved—pretended to steer a solar ship, making rocket sounds as he went. As he navigate the two of them around the rocks and through the labyrinth of towering boulders, Liz shot at make-believe monsters they had drawn on the stone earlier with black charcoal, aiming for the small targets the mischief makers had also decided to draw on the earlier.

This was James Hawkins, more commonly known as Jim. The child had thought James too weird to keep saying, like he was an old geezer or something, so he decided Jim was better. A happy child who lived at the inn with his mother, Sarah Hawkins, while his father was usually away on a trip, he was smart as well as resourceful and curious as a six-year-old could be. He was at an age where his eyes were still big and innocent, and his smile still mischievous and bright.

His partner in crime was the girl Elizabeth Kingston, or Liz, a name Jim had given her. Agreeing that her full name was also too "old and girly-like" and rather a mouthful, the two changed her name to Liz. An impish child with a thick, wavy mane of black locks, Liz's hair had been shorn off mostly to keep it under control. A bright orange scarf was tied to substitute as a headband to further restrict it. Her eyes were big and shining, and just as excited and curious as her long-time friend. She was strange looking child. Pale, white skin seemed nearly transparent, and her over-large eyes shone bright purple. She seemed almost too fragile to touch.

But despite the strange, eerie appearance, young Jim Hawkins remained undeterred. Jim and Liz had been together for as long as either could remember. You rarely ever find one without the other nearby.

"Hurry Liz! We're almost there!"

"Watch out for the meteor shower Jim! POW! POW! POW! KABLOOEY!"

"Kablooey? That's just stupid, Liz."

"No it ain't!"

"Kids! Time for lunch!" Sarah called from the doorway of the inn.

"Coming!" Both chimed obediently.

The day passed for the happy children. The world was still a bright and happy place for them. Night came and the two prepared for bed. As the two children climbed into Jim's bed, along with their favorite storybook. The read the storybook through, staring in awe and wonderment at the holograms of the famous pirate, Captain Nathaniel Flint.

As the two closed the storybook and crawled into the blankets, a comfortable silence issued between the children.

"Hey…Liz," Jim began hesitantly. "Why'd you think my Dad's never around."

Liz mused silently for a while before voicing her thoughts, "Maybe the same reason I don't want to stay at home, I simply like it here better. Maybe your dad likes traveling more. Just likes we want to go to find Treasure Planet, maybe he's looking for something?"

"Maybe," Jim agreed sadly. Then he brightened up as he remembered something. "You know how our moms and dads wear those rings?"

"Yeah?" the black hair girl replied, tilting her head slightly curiously.

"Mom said they wear that to promise each other that they'll always stick together," Jim continued. "It's their promise that no matter what happens, they'll face anything and everything together."

"Just like us?" Liz chirped excitedly.

"Just like us," Jim confirmed firmly in his all-knowing, childish fashion. He leaned over the side of the bed and opened a drawer on the nightstand. Rummaging through with his chubby hand, he pulled out to circlets shining dull in the nightlight. One ring shone a dull brass; the other was a plain silverish, metal ring. "See, one ring for you, and one for me." Handing her the metal ring, the two fitted on the small rings. "A promise to face anything and everything…"

"Side by side and arm to arm," Liz finished contently, wrapping her right hand over her left fist, the hand on which the metal, silver ring was fitted on.

The children lay there quietly, glowing in their sense of a child's accomplishment, bodies turned to one another. It stayed like that for a few minutes. A comfortable silence, which partially tricked Sarah into thinking they were quietly asleep.

"Wanna hear Treasure Planet again?" Jim broke the silence.

"Let's" his friend agreed.

As they opened the book, the deep voice of the hologram storybook rang out from under the blanket, filling the children with the adrenaline of adventure.

"There are nights when the winds of the Etherium, so inviting in heir promise of flight and freedom…made one's spirit _soar_!"

Authoress: So that's the first chapter.

Sahori: You could have done better.

Authoress: Oh, shut up. I wrote you into existence.

Sahori: You could have made it so I was a bit more normal.

Authoress: If you were normal, you'd be boring. So shut up now or I'll write you _**OUT**_ of existence.


	2. 12 Years Later I Really Am

Authoress: Chapter 2 is UP!!! Sorry I haven't updated for so long. Finals….

Sahori: I think Flicker just died a little again. Yeah, her finals' scores were—

Authoress: Shut up, Sahori! No one needs to no those anyway.

THANK YOU TO REVIEWERS!!! YOU MAKE ME INSANELY HAPPY!!! PLEASE KNOW THAT!! XDDDDDDDDDD

Sahori: Please know she's insane.

Authoress: Who asked you. If I'm insane, what does that make you?

Sahori: I'm not insane, you wrote me out the way I am.

Authoress: Exactly. You're a character.

Manderss.x.x: Thank you…sniffle. The rings actually play out as something in the movie. It's revealed in this chapter. ^.^

Draco09: Will do. Thank you!!!

Aly Dee: You can!!! **Watery eyes** Gah!!!! That's awesome!!!! Thank you!!!!

Sahori: **Disclaimer, Flicker doesn't own Treasure Planet. The movie belongs to Disney. The end.**

Two adolescences soared through canyons uncomfortably close to the restricted areas. Each on a solar surfer they had been pieced together from scratch, obvious in the large stitches made to hold together the scraps of different colored solar sails and the worn metal that made the board.

Jim Hawkins was eighteen, a handsome youth who looked older than he should with deep shadows around his eyes. He had a small braid behind his head and his thick, flyer's jacket flapped back as he soared past the familiar cliffs. A small, brass ring that once fit on a little chubby finger now hung on his left ear.

Liz Kingston was also eighteen, and still his partner in everything he did. Although much time had passed and many things had changed, the fact the two were still rarely seen without the other hadn't changed for the last fourteen years. As she grew older, she had lost her sickly look, but was still rather eerie. The large, unblinking purple eyes that had been too large for her face had matured to reveal a pair of large, exotically slanted eyes. The majority of the baby fat had also been lost to form sharper, angled lines. The mane of wavy, wild, black hair had remained but she given up trying to control them. Now the mane streamed out behind her and framed the still mischievous face, though shadows also seemed to hang around her eyes. Liz had kept the scarf, though now it was a light gray, and could only be seen in flashes as it streamed behind her and between the mass of hair and the tresses that hung thick around her face, but now flew behind in a flurry with the wind. If you looked closely, patches of faint outlines of scales could be seen under one cheek and parts of her arms and neck. A dull, silvery metal ring that was once worn on a little child's finger hung on the lobe of her right ear.

As the two adjusted the shimmering sail, then they turned it to soar straight up into the sky and among the fluffy cloudbanks, highlighted in pink and light purple, far from the tired buildings below.

"On three!" Liz yelled, smirking and tossing her head to get rid of the wild hair tresses caught in her eyes.

"THREE!" Jim yelled. Both stomped on the gear on the back of the board, which caused the sails to retract. As they spun gracefully backwards among the clouds for a second, Liz could imagine Jim exhaling in his brief release, his one escape from his monotone life, and Liz inhaled, preparing for the rush. Then they were both plummeting, freefalling through the air, thousands of miles above ground.

As they somersaulted, spun, and cartwheeled, the adrenaline rushed through their veins. The side of the canyon rushed by them as the two surfers rushed past in a flurry of spins and tricks.

As the ground came rushing up to meet them, the two simultaneously stomped on the same gear and released the sail in two flashes of golden light. Liz whooped in victory and of the rush and the wind whipping back her hair and shrieking in her ear. Nearby, she could hear Jim yelling faintly over the wind. Both surfers wove gracefully past each other as well as rocks. It didn't even dawn either of them in the slightest that they were heading into the manufacturing area, restricted to both of them.

Liz screamed in exhilaration as she and her partner narrowly missed pipes and dodged around various other obstacles and bouts of steam and smike. She barked out a laugh as she saw Jim pull a grind move on a pipe in a bright shower of sparks, then promptly pulled up sharply to avoid a large, rusting pipe.

"Liz!" she heard a yell as she suddenly pulled a spinning nosedive.

Looking forward, she immediately spotted Jim's targeted challenge. It was a piece of machinery that sort of resembled a wheel. If you timed it right, you could make it before the piece of spinning machinery inside before it crushed you.

"Come on!" she heard the boy yell, facing the challenge head-on. She wasn't quite sure who he was challenging. Her…or the wheel.

When he was safely through with another flash of light, Liz looked around frantically. Grinning when she found what she was looking for, she leaned forward and followed Jim's example. As she stomped on the gear and the sail folded in on itself, she leaned forward further and pulled out a modified version of the slingshot gun she had when she was smaller and one of her larger pebbles in a pouch she kept tied around her waist. Aiming, she let out a yell as she shot toward some gears below the wheel.

In the split second the pebble had stuck between and stopped the gears before being crushed to dust, she was through with a flash of light and a loud, screeching whoop. They both laughed a little bit as they just sailed along, enjoying their victory over a reckless challenge, their own personal victory over Death and the monotony of their lives.

"Hey," he teased good-naturedly as he steered closer. "You ain't suppose ta do that!"

"Ah, let it go, Jim!" she laughed, pulling her surfer further from him to avoid bumping into each other. "You go by your strength and I'll go by mine."

As police sirens wailed louder and louder, their laughter trailed off. Liz heaved a sigh, and rolled her eyes, shoulders hunched, half-lidded purple eyes glaring into nothing.

"Here we go," she grumbled. "Again."

Liz's Point of View

First stop was the Benbow Inn. Ah man, Sarah was going to have a heart attack. Poor Jim. He really does love Sarah, we both do. He's the one getting in trouble with her. My parents don't give a flying fuck, 'cept how to keep it quiet. But the mecha-cops are already going to do _that. _Sarah won't be too happy with me either though.

Sarah was going to throw a fit. I just know it.

And Jim?

Sigh. He's gloomy again. I hate it. I really do. He looks all sad and gloomy. The shadows deepen around his eyes everyday. The only time he can find any release or relief is when we're solar surfing or _something_ that'll get us in trouble. Not like we mean it, but all the fun stuff is restricted and all that. He's my other half ya know? Like brother and sister. Or brother and brother considering how boyish I turned out. If I didn't have my hair, you'd never guess I was a lass. Apparently, I had my father's chin, cause my mum certainly don't have it.

He's my best friend. No one else really likes me. Sarah worries about his and my grades and all, but both us try to keep it hush hush to her about all the fights I get to at school. Well, we. He's a great guy that way. I guess you can say my whole world revolves 'round him. Seems a bit clingy but…how can I not? Him and Sarah? They're my whole world. That woman I'm suppose ta call Mum, my "stepdad" and "step-siblings" who all live up on that big house full of fancy stuff and fancy clothes, teachers, classmates…

They ain't for me. They've always hated me. When they look at me, they always look directly at those patches of shadowy outlines that kinda look like fish scales, 'cept sharper. Jim's always been there. He's my solid ground. Sarah's always fed me, clothe me. And I hate taking stuff from them. I do. But not like I get that kinda stuff at home. I'm such an ungrateful brat, huh?

Look at Jim. I look at his eyes. They're not even there. He's some place far off. I try to distract him from the here and now. I do. But try as I might. I can only get a bit of him back here. I love solar surfing. When surfing, I feel so above everything. Like there was never a dull life where people always think they're better than me. Just me and Jim.

I love it, cause when we surf. Jim comes back to me. He's _ALIVE_.

That, or when we fight. Like that once where this guy at school pulled a stungun from nowhere and stunned me from behind before I could react.

Then, the group continued with beating the living shit out of me. (That was one fight that I couldn't keep hush from Sarah about)…

Jim was so pissed, it ain't even funny. He was back that time too. But it frightening. He was back and he was so angry…

The point is: Jim needs more. Ever since his father left, he's been like this. I know the questions in his head, the doubts, and the fears.

"Why Dad leave?"

"Was it cause of me?"

"Something I done?"

"Was there something I could've done to prevent it?"

How?

Simple. He told me. What, you thought I was a mind reader or something? Psh. Fat chance! I just get the feeling what he's feeling. Kinda. If my "parents" disappeared…

Well…good riddance ta bad trash and all that shit.

But Jim loved his dad. Ever since he left, Jim's been fading away, withdrawing into himself. And I'm here, waiting and watching by his side. 'Fraid till one day, he'll disappear altogether. And I'll be all alone. So here I am. Hoping, that he'll stop fading.

Like right now, his darkened blue eyes are half-lidded and tired. His shoulders are hunched in the way that he's giving the hint he's burying into himself, with his head bent forward. He's slumped against the seat of the police bike. Simple, he's resigned, exasperated. And the saddest thing, the light in them a moment ago was gone.

One minute, he's yelling at the mecha-bots for taking away our surfers, and the next ,after the prospect of going home like this….. Again. With the mecha-police. Again.

Or I guess I know cause I feel the same way. As the bikes settled onto the ground in front of the Benbow Inn, I was yanked off the bike by the arm and half dragged, half pulled along. Eventually, I felt, another (gentler, non-metal) arm pull me upright and pulled me out of the policebot's grasp with a bit more force than he use to pull me up.

Grasping my hand firmly in his equally calloused hand and pulling me along, we were both escorted by the two police to the door of the familiar, slightly rundown building known as the Benbow Inn.

As the door swung open, the police holding Jim's shoulder called out, "Mrs. Hawkins?"

"Jim!" was accompanied by the crash and clatter as Sarah Hawkins dropped a tray piled high with plates, glasses, and utensils. A "Liz!" immediately followed.

"Oh, wrong turn," I heard Delbert mumble as he looked away.

I wonder what he meant…

"OK," Jim laughed brightly, trying to wave them off as casually as possible, and I followed his example in pushing their hands off. "Thanks for the lift, guys—"

"Not so fast," the bot stopped both of us as we tried to walk away. Both our shoulders slumped as the other bot started. "We apprehended your son and his girlfriend—"

"She's/I'm not my/his girlfriend!" we interjected exasperatedly. Seriously, how many times do we have to tell these idiots?

"—operating solar vehicles in a restricted area," he continued as if nothing happened.

The other bot continued, "Moving violation 9-0-4, section fifteen, paragraph…um…"

"Six?" Both of us rang out nonchalantly and rather resignedly. Jim was scratching his cheek as I scratched the back of my neck, both of us looking at anywhere besides a person, namely Sarah Hawkins. Mother of Jim and the closet thing I ever had to a mother.

"Thank you," the bot replied frostily.

"Don't mention it," yet again, monotone chiming the exact same thing.

"Jim! Liz!" she scolded. Her eyes were so tired. Must have been a rough day at the inn.

"As you are aware ma'am this constitutes a violation of their probations," he started.

"Yes, yes," she stammered, hurrying to us. "No, I understand. Um, but could we just—?"

"Um, ahem," Ah, Delbert decided to come to Sarah's rescue, " Pardon me. Officers, if I might, uh, interject here. I, am the noted astrophysicist, Dr. Delbert Doppler. Perhaps you've heard of me. No? Uh. I have a clipping—"

He was trying so hard, too. Delbert started to pull out a clipping he had kept in his over shirt.

"Are you the boy's father?" the bot suddenly asked as he pointed at Delbert.

Both Delbert and Sarah denied profusely, trying to explain that he was just a family friend.

"BACK OFF SIR!" both police bots leaned forward; intimidating poor, cowering Delbert.

"Thank you, Delbert," Sarah smiled, strained as she reassured the stargazer. "I'll tale it from her."

"Well, um," the nervous doctor stammered. "If you insist, Sara, Ahem," I smiled a little as I heard him whisper to Sarah, "Don't ever let me do that again," before rushing off.

"Due to repeated violations of statute 15-C, we have impounded their vehicles," the other robot started. "Any more slip-ups will result in a one-way ticket to Juvenile Hall."

"Kiddie hooskill."

"The slammo."

With that, the bots pushed Jim over to Sarah, who pulled him to her.

"Thank you officers," she thanked them rather stiffly. "It won't. Happen. Again."

God job Jim. But you do realize avoiding her eyes won't last for much longer right?

"We see these kinds all the time, ma'am."

"Wrong choices."

"Dead enders."

"Losers."

"Shut the fuck up, you damn pieces of a metal tin can!"

Uh…yeah….that last one was me if you hadn't figured it out….

Okay, so yeah.

I may have a slight temper issue. But hey, no one calls Jim names without setting me off. He's already gone through enough. It's instinct. It's not fair for others to call him that just cause he hung out with me (Not that the world was fair in the first place)…then later they discovered his dad left…

I just don't like Jim being called names or made fun of. I just don't.

I long lost interest when they call me names. They're probably true anyway. But Jim will be better. He's kind. He deserves better. Better than here, and better than waiting for his life to start.

The bots just completely ignored my snarl, and continued to talk to Sarah.

"So you take care now."

Grrrrr. I'll take care of you….You'll be in the scrap heap if you hadn't been a cop bot…

"Let's motor."

You egotistical pieces of …

I desperately looked back over my shoulder at Jim as they "escorted" me out. The only reason they bring me over here is that they figure that I actually _listen _to Sarah, and that she actually _cares_ aboutme.

_Pick you up later_, he mouths.

_See ya_, I quickly mouth back, just before they slammed that familiar door behind them.

So here I am in my room in the basement of the big mansion of my "home". It's not home. Home is Jim and Sarah and the little Benbow Inn with all the queer customers who don't blink twice when they see me. I'm just a worker there, same as Jim. Just as long, too.

Here, I don't fit in at all.

With my worn, thick, baggy jacket and equally worn and loose baggy and patchy pants and shirt that are threadbare on the edges, I look weird in this house of marble, silk, china, and silver, and all the most valuable stuff in the universe. Full of full-blooded human children with their private tutors and neat, pressed clothes and stuff dresses with curtained beds.

Full of snotty brats that think they're better than you just cause they're born under a rich father. Full of disgusted snorts and cannots. Full of stiff manners and polite remarks all undertoned with disgust and pity.

I hate it here.

I hate having to face that from people who are suppose to be "family".

I hate their scandalous looks and malicious, unrestrained jokes.

Even the lowest _servant _looks down at me.

Every fool, every idiot.

They say I'm better off dead.

Without me to shame them, everybody's better off.

Well, you know what?

I wish I was never born.

I wish I was never born to have to deal with their stupid idiocies.

I wish I was dea—

TAP! TAP!

………………

Oh, It's Jim. Yes, that's right. Jim would be sad if I was gone, wouldn't he? Jim said so. He even came to get me.

I don't know why I was first drawn to Jim. I really don't. It was his talk of Treasure Planet, I guess. Of how he wanted to go there and how he'd make history.

"_Can I come too?"_

_ "Sure!"_

He was my solid ground. I needed him.

I wish he knew that.

I wish he knew how much my world revolved around him. I wish he knew that despite things, I needed him more than the air I breathed. The air so many were disgusted by. I needed him because he was willing to willing to breathe that air.

Forever and always.

My dearest dream.

My dearest dream by far.

I wish he knew how many times he'd save me. And not from others. From myself.

From these dark thoughts that are always plaguing me.

"Let's go."

"You don't have to tell me, Jim. I'm outta here."

I'm glad.

I really glad that I'm the shadow running next to him as the clouds blew over, and darkness and shadows fell over everything. Being alone frightening. I'm really happy that I matter to him enough for him to come get me.

I really am.

Authoress: I could have written this better…I've written out two very contradicting parts on Liz. The basic idea is that she's hostile to pretty much everybody but Jim and Sarah. Even to herself.

Sahori: She doesn't seem to like herself much, huh?

Authoress: Hmmmm. I try to update soon since it's February break. Bye!!!


	3. Unexpected Visitors Part I: Shot Down

Authoress: Third chapter!

Sahori: Let's just get this started. Disclaimer: Stuff belongs to Disney. Period. But Liz belongs to us.

Authoress: Me. Not 'us', you mean.

Sahori: No. Us. She's technically in our _group_.

Authoress: I created her.

Sahori: We're family. We pwn you. (smirks)

Authoress: Bipolar carrot top.

Sahori: Insane psycho-bitch.

Authoress: Ah, I like to thank all the readers out there (I got favorited and people leave comments. THANK YOU SO MUCH! X333), and would like to thank those who commented. It let's me know you people are actually out there. ^.^ Thank you!

Sorry this took so long, but I have a life (unfortunately) and things tend to happen whether I like it, or not. Mostly not. SAT's, CM's, all sorts of testing is not my thing. But I have to do it anyways,

P.S. I don't think I'm holding these conversations with Sahori anymore, she's not talking to me anymore…

What does that tell you? =_=

Originally, this was one huge chapter, but because I'm taking so long to type it, I'm splitting the chapter in half. An update, finally. Again, sorry. ^.^;

====(*)==(*)====

~CHAPTER 3: So It Begins (Part I)~

(To clear it out, Liz still thinks her adoration for Jim is as a very precious friend/partner/brother and vice versa. Neither are actually very clear about their feelings.

This will change.

Just you watch.

IMPORTANT: For the past two chapters I have been saying that it was Liz's MOM that's been cheating with some kind of non-human creature. I meant her dad, the rich old guy. For some reason I'm having trouble reloading the other chapters. I'll get to that as soon as I can….)

====(*)==(*)====

~JIM'S POV~

Liz and I sat on the roof together, leaning against the warm, slightly crooked chimney.

Shoulder to shoulder, lazily throwing pebbles stuck in between the shingles into the gutter. As the rocks bounced off the gutter and rolled, they each sounded their own lonely _ping-ping _sound. The sky had turned dark, and cloudy. Everywhere was gray and shadowed, shadowy fingers seem to draw themselves across the cliffs as we had ran back up to the Benbow Inn and climbed onto the uneven, rundown roof. It was our place to be alone, and the only place where we could watch the going-on's of the inn while be as close to the sky as possible when our boards are confiscated. The roof itself was rough and mismatched.

Dirty. Chipped. Sad.

After sneaking through the security of the Kingston Mansion, I had to get by the guards, and wait for the bunch of stuck-up kids in pressed, expensive clothes to pass by before being able to help Liz out of the locked basement through a little window at the corner of the mansion.

It was a breeze after that. Even if the guards saw us, they didn't put in the effort to chase us. We were too fast, and it happened too regularly of late to be of much matter. They knew they couldn't catch us.

We were taking turns lazily flicking pebbles into the gutter down below. Liz made it every. Single. Time. Which made it exasperating after a while, so we just leaned our heads back against the warm stone chimney and attempted to relax. Though brood is probably a more accurate word for it.

I heard voices coming from inside, escaping from the main room to us on the roof.

There was a circular, slightly crooked window next to us, the glass was smudged and dirty from all these years, but the light could still shine through, and I could still just glimpse my mom and Delbert. I could see my mom pacing back and forth, cleaning, tidying the now empty inn, and talking to Delbert.

"I really don't know how you manage it Sarah," Delbert's muted, nervous voice reached me.

"Trying to raise a business while raising a felon like—felon-like—fellow—_fellow, _like Jim. And he's running around with Elizabeth isn't doing him much good either. She's as bad as he is. Both of them are getting into so much trouble, and all."

I felt Liz shift restlessly besides me. She was listening, too.

"Managing it? I'm at the ends of my rope!" Mom exclaimed, both of us winced ever so slightly at the despair that heavily colored her tone. "Ever since his father left—well—Jim's, just never recovered."

Why did she have to bring Dad up? My eyes trailed back to the gutter below.

"And, well, you know how smart he is," she continued, my eyes found it's way back to the yellow-tinged window. "He built his first solar system when he was _eight_!" A small, tired smile pulled at the corners of my mouth, and I could feel Liz nudging my arm very lightly, very encouragingly. "And yet, he's failing at school. He is, _constantly_, in trouble. And when I talk to him, it's like he's a total stranger to me, _I don't know, Delbert_! I've tried _everything_!

And Liz…"

Sarah cut off her sentence abruptly, and after a period of stifling silence, she sighed tiredly.

"She…just goes along with everything. I don't know who starts things, Jim or Liz. But if one of them does something like—like jump over a gorge with a flyer _just to see_ if they can make it to the other side, they other will immediately _follow_. Without thinking about it _at all_! With Liz…you know thing's always been hard on her, her being a halfling and the subject of that scandal with her 'father'," Sarah's exasperated tone changed instantly as she the word drew out 'mother' distastefully. She did not look well upon a man who ignored his child, even if Liz was a result of an obviously non-human mistress.

"Sometimes," Sarah sighed. "I think it's better if those two spent some time apart from each other, but then I look at them when they _ar_e apart and when they're together…Jim…he… withdraws into himself completely, it's like he's just completely and utterly alone and gone from here when she's not around …and …Liz…God, Liz… Sometimes, I'm afraid of her. When she comes to the inn after getting into a fight, without a single scratch and, I wonder what makes up her other half. Delbert, don't get me wrong, I love her and she's such a sweetheart! Even if she gets in so much trouble! But I can't help but wonder at times if she's actually safe to be around…"

Liz stiffened with each passing second, half curling into herself, purple eyes completely shadowed by the mass of hair she grew out. I could feel her trembling. I knew she was holding back tears.

I scooted closer, and gently pressed up against her side. In times like these, we really only have each other, don't we? See, wait for it…

There! She'll turn slightly and give a half-hearted, sad smile. She won't put out emotion like this to anyone these days but me. Another reason why I hate this monotone lifestyle of ours. She's growing pale. Well, she's always pale, but lately, she's been getting more thin and waxy, all sick-like and sad.

Liz suddenly stiffened, sitting up ramrod straight and away from the chimney, eyes wide and staring into thin air. It was like she was desperately trying to see or hear something. She spun to face around the chimney and toward the sky a split-second before I heard it myself.

The sound of a craft hurtling through the air with the engines sputtering with strain, and fire cackling harshly as the whatever the craft was moaned in pain. The sound got louder and louder, closer and closer.

I turned to see instinctively and saw some sort of pointed gray craft whoosh past us in a flash and crash land at our spindly docks in a spiral of sparks and black, thick smoke. It looked like a life craft, a small vehicle usually kept on a bigger ship for escaping, scouting, or small-scale landings.

Liz's reaction was faster than mine as she slid down and off the roof. I followed closely behind. Slowing our fall by clawing the rooftop as we dropped from roof to roof, and we both hit the ground running and ran to the rickety dock where the ship had hit.

We rushed down to the end hill that the Benbow Inn was located on and down to the end of the dock to the crash-landed.

Liz got there first, jumping lightly on top of the craft, balancing precariously on all fours. Taking out a small, dull pocketknife she always kept hidden in the waistband of her baggy pants, she used it to pry open what I knew would be the circuit panel of the ship. With opening it, a column of smoke rose out of the opening. Carefully poking through it before turning her head back and forth to examine the ship itself, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Jim! This ship was shot down by a canon in the tail and the port engine! And it ain't gonna take off again anytime soon!"

When I finally caught up, I banged on the foggy, glass dome that I knew was the cockpit.

"Hey, mister! You okay?"

I started when the glass dome started opening with a gaseous his of air escaping a closely confined area and rusty, sudden movement of the dome unlocking. Liz slid down the side of the craft agile and landed besides me the moment the cockpit suddenly opened, tensed up and wary with one hand still gripping the dull knife lightly, but firmly. We both saw a shadow moving from within the smoke….

Continued in part 2…..

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Thanks for reading!

I'll get Part 2 up ASAP! It'll be easier since I already wrote most of it. =3333


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